Indian Cucumber Raita Recipe (Yogurt sauce)
Ever since I was asked for a raita recipe, I have been trying to take photos of one. Its indeed astounding that I have not been posting them even though I make it at least 3-4 times a week. Yogurt is a must-have ingredient for us and I use them in so many ways - raita being one. I have tried so many different varieties of raita, each one marginally different from another but with subtle hint to unique flavors. I love cucumber raita - especially during the summer where the cucumber offers cooling effects to the body. I also love this with spicy and hot foods since the cucumber balances the heat and mellows down the spicyness of the food.
Indian Cucumber Raita Recipe (Yogurt sauce)
Me being a huge fan of Greek yogurt, I use them for making my raita. The amount of protein that it offers for minimal calories is massive. I also love the thickness and richness of the curd. There is no sourness to the yogurt and it has none of the artificial preservatives that I read in other fat free brands. Just natural live cultures so I use them for my raita which gives that perfect consistency to any variety of raita I make. For this type of raita, I add little grated and then chopped cucumbers. I grate it so that the taste of cucumber can mingle well with the yogurt but I need the chopped ones to offer me that crunchy bite. Why compromise with just one? So I do both. I mix the grated one first to let it mix well with the curd and then add some chopped ones. I also garnish it at the end with chopped ones to make it more palatable. Though I have mentioned only 1 cucumber - you can add more as per your taste buds call for :)
  • Prep time:
  • Serves: 2 people
Ingredients
  • 2 cups thick plain Yogurt (make sure its not sour. I use fat free Greek yogurt for more protein)
  • 1 large cucumber (half grated and half chopped)
  • 1/2 – 1 tsp roasted cumin powder (I sometimes use ground cumin-coriander powder with good results)
  • few sprigs of cilantro
  • salt to taste ( try the black salt available in Indian stores. More authentic)
  • chilli powder/ground pepper for garnish (optional)
Method
1. Add the yogurt along with the spices in a bowl.
2. Beat well until it becomes smooth.
3. Add the grated cucumber and mix well.
4. Then add the chopped cucumber to the mix
5. along with cilantro
6. Give it a good mix.
Serve garnished with some chilli powder/roasted cumin powder to taste. I also add few additional chopped cucumber pieces as a garnish. Indian Cucumber Raita Recipe (Yogurt sauce)

Related Posts

Tomato Raita By DK on Jun 13, 2012
Rainbow Carrot Raita By DK on Feb 3, 2012
Spinach Raita By DK on Nov 27, 2010
Bread Raita By DK on Apr 27, 2010

Leave a Reply

I love to hear from you! I read each and every comment, and will get back as soon as I am able to.
Did you try this recipe? Please share your feedback!
Upload Your Recipe Photos

3 Member Reviews

By Gia on Jul 16, 2013

The only thing is, I have to leave out the cilantro, because I am one of the ten percent of the world's population for whom the fresh herb tastes like soap.  Really.

By Adiatna on Oct 6, 2012

Read All 3 Reviews →

38 Comments

By Michele on Jul 1, 2016

Can one mix mint with cilantro?

Definitely yes :) --DK

By Check out these 12 tasty cucumber recipes! on Aug 7, 2015

[…] Cucumber Raita | Chef In You – If you’re looking for a cooling effect for the summer heat, this yogurt style cucumber recipe will do the trick! […]

By Sarah on Apr 25, 2015

Making It tonight!! Looks really yummy, can't wait! :wink:

By Why salad is an insult to a vegetarian | The Road to Rue de l'Odéon on Mar 25, 2015

[…] Cucumber raitha […]

By Amy on Mar 20, 2015

Thank you very much for this great recipe :) ! We are making Chicken Biryani tonight and we wanted some Raita. We know how to make Raita just not a good as this one tasted so thank you very much again I look forward to more recipes coming through. ( :roll: sorry Im a bit weird)

By sangeeta on Sep 8, 2014

Nice recipe of cucumber raita but I n my family like raita with tadka n I made it with tadka n it's test too good thanks :)

By Amanda on Aug 5, 2014

Re: How do you take the sour taste out of yogurt? I was surprised to read this question as well as the orginal recipe instruction "make sure its not sour" because for me, the more sour yogurt is, the better (more vigorous live cultures) it is, and just as important, I much prefer a strong sour taste to a limp barely there sour. So, I think as in all things, this is a matter of personal taste and "sour yogurt" is no worse nor no better than less sour yogurt. But, the above aside, thank you for some wonderful detailed preparation discussions and photography! :)

By Emma Keene on Apr 29, 2014

I have been making cucumber raita for months and came across this site whilst looking for the origins. I usually make it with a little finely chopped onion and milled black peppercorn to taste. It brilliant served with raw carrots or celery as a snack or as a light lunch. :wink:

By India: Cucumber Raita - Four Meadows and a Map on Mar 9, 2014

[...] found this recipe and the photo above at http://chefinyou.com/2011/04/cucumber-raita/. Filed Under: [...]

By INDIAN SAMOSA | LITTLE STUFFED THINGS on Mar 5, 2014

[...] finding out that Indian food is sooooooooo good! I love trying different curries, garlic naan, and cucumber raita, which is a delicious yogurt dip that helps break down the spiciness of some curies. But before [...]

By Indian Samosa | LITTLE STUFFED THINGS on Mar 5, 2014

[...] out that Indian food is sooooooooo good!  I love trying different curries, garlic naan, and cucumber raita, which is a delicious yogurt dip that helps break down the spiciness of some curies.  But before [...]

By Carla Cravens on Jan 16, 2014

How do you make the yogurt not sour?

By Carla Cravens on Jan 16, 2014

How do you take the sour taste out of yogurt?

Add some milk. Adding some melted butter will also help to enhance the taste reducing the sourness. --DK

By A {LUST} for Food | The One K on Jan 9, 2014

[...] Who can say no to a homemade pita pocket filled with lamb shavings, grilled brinjals, cucumber raita, blanch tomatoes and a hint of chili. The lamb pita didn’t only look good. It tasted great! [...]

By Vegetarian dishes | Pearltrees on Dec 24, 2013

[...] Cucumber Raita Recipe (Indian Yogurt sauce recipes) Ever since I was asked for a raita recipe, I have been trying to take photos of one. Its indeed astounding that I have not been posting them even though I make it at least 3-4 times a week. Yogurt is a must-have ingredient for us and I use them in so many ways - raita being one. I have tried so many different varieties of raita, each one marginally different from another but with subtle hint to unique flavors. That time of year is here again. Back home this was the time when monsoon would begin to wave a bye bye. After days and weeks of playing hide and seek, sun would finally decide to show up and umbrellas would go back to the closet giving way to woolen pullovers and shawls. This would tell its time for festivals and celebrations. Dahi Ke Aloo (Potato and Yogurt Soup) for Navratri and a guest post on Eat Live Run ~ IndianSimmer - Indian food made easy plus more! Dum Aloo ~ IndianSimmer - Indian food made easy plus more! The other day I found these gorgeous fingerling potatoes in the supermarket and just picked up thinking that I have to make something out of it. Then they were sitting at a corner in my kitchen hoping to be picked, for days and today was the day. I used them to make Dum Aloo. Dum in hindi means pressure and aloo is potatoe so you know Dum Aloo means 'pressure cooked potatoes'.Traditionally food is placed in a pot, usually made of clay, and dough is used to create a tight seal to prevent the steam from escaping. Tadka tomato dal and green tomato chutney - Summer Fest ~ IndianSimmer - Indian food made easy plus more! Recently I was browsing through food blogs and stumbled upon something really interesting. Margaret Roach and a few more bloggers have joined together to celebrate peak harvest season by a cross-blog event called the Summer Fest . The event invites all interested bloggers to contribute in whatever way they want. So you can swap your recipe or tips about the particular harvest ingredient which is the theme for that particular week. I thought it was a cool idea and felt compelled to contribute a recipe of mine as well. This week's theme was tomatoes. We celebrated Dussehra yesterday! Dussehra is a Hindu festival which is celebrated all over India under different names and ways but all have a common reason - celebrate the triumph of good over evil. According to Hindu mythology, Lord Rama worshiped Goddess Durga who is an epitome of the nine aspects of a woman - strength, patience and kindness being some of them. Lord Rama asked for all those powers from the goddess to help him fight Ravana (evil) - the abductor of his wife Sita. A Simple Hindu Pooja Meal ~ IndianSimmer - Indian food made easy plus more! Dal Makhani.. Lentils at its perfection! ~ IndianSimmer - Indian food made easy plus more! You know how some things or some food always remind you of someone. Sometimes because of the story related to it or sometimes probably because of the person's love for it. Well! whenever I have to make urad ki daal ( black lentils) it never fails to remind me of my father-in -law. He loves urad daal so much that my mom-in-law even jokingly says that " He met urad before he met me, so I can't complain". Tadka tomato dal and green tomato chutney - Summer Fest ~ IndianSimmer - Indian food made easy plus more! [+] Recipes home • iPhone & iPad app • android app • contact • blog • facebook • twitter to experience pearltrees activate javascript. [...]

By The Local Box is Pretty in Purple! | Greenling Dallas on Oct 15, 2013

[...] Try this recipe from Food and Wine magazine that also uses jalapenos. Pair it with a classic Indian cucumber Raita to mellow the [...]

By Ananya on Aug 31, 2013

Thank you for this recipe.. easy to prepare and great to taste. :)

By 10 Things to do with a Cucumber| Greenling on Aug 19, 2013

[...] Let the kids help make Cucumber Raita, a traditional Indian yogurt dip. Kids can grate half a cucumber and mix it with 8 ounces of [...]

By Lea on Jul 24, 2013

Do you peel the cucumber?

By parijat on Apr 15, 2013

tries it....n it was just awesome... :wink:

By Skippy chick on Apr 12, 2013

Made this tonight and it was fab. Sprinkled a bit of Sumac on top Delicious! :-D

By Caro on Apr 11, 2013

Looks great! But definitely going full fat 8)

By The Last Supper: An Indian Feast | Enchanted Seashells…Confessions of a Tugboat Captain's Wife on Apr 3, 2013

[...] Raita: http://chefinyou.com/2011/04/cucumber-raita/ [...]

By Enchanted Seashells, Confessions of a Tugboat Captain's Wife on Apr 2, 2013

This is exactly what I was looking for. I'm making naan bread and lentil daal tonight based on a delish meal we had in Berkeley. Thank you!

By Grace on Jan 16, 2013

Wow, I am so excited to make this very soon; your pics and not so complicated ingredients made it look very easy to make and very yummy too! Thank you!

By Indian Night « Comme Tu Veux on Feb 3, 2012

[...] left to right: raita (yogurt/cucumber dip), naan (bread), curried chicken skewers, vegetable biryani.  All base recipes [...]

By Jen on Oct 14, 2011

I'm not very skilled in the kitchen, let alone with international cuisine, but I made this to go with madras lentils and pita and it was delicious! Thanks so much for this simple yet tasty recipe. (I'm also new to this site, but I plan on coming back for seconds and thirds and . . .)

By Divya Vikram on Apr 30, 2011

Havent ever thought of making raita with greek yogurt. i always have a tub sitting in my fridge and I use it to make Shrikhand.

By Siri on Apr 28, 2011

So simple yet so fantabulous - just like your Mint raita. I am gonna make for you-know-who. All your yogurt recipes ultimately end up in his tummy & I like it :lol: Hugs, Siri

By Sweet Artichoke on Apr 27, 2011

Lovely pics and very delicious raita! I am so happy to find out that I am preparing it the same way than you :wink:

By Sudha on Apr 26, 2011

i make mine with some chopped up gherkins, some finely cut jalapenos along with cucumber and preferably greek yogurt. goes very well with rice dishes, or just some toasted pita bread!

By Priya on Apr 26, 2011

My most favourite raita,looks wonderful..

By sunita on Apr 25, 2011

hi dk :lol: yummmmiiiieeeesss raita, i always prepare this for my lunch box its so soothing and relishing, reminded me about my lunch time will surely bring this everyday cheers :-P

By Vimitha on Apr 25, 2011

Rich and creamy raitha... Perfect for parathas...

By Divya on Apr 25, 2011

Cool cucumber raita on a hot day-YUM,I can eat it as a meal!I always make it with Biryani!

By Madhuram on Apr 25, 2011

The thought of goat milk puts me off from buying greek yogurt. I know its silly but we (I'm) are so used to consuming only cow's milk, I find it difficult to accept goat's milk, feta cheese etc. I will have to get over this one, especially my chiropractor says that goat's milk is far superior to cow's milk.

By Nishi on Apr 25, 2011

The Raita looks so yummy!! Just perfect for Summer :)

By Vardhini on Apr 25, 2011

Cool and refreshing raita. My all time favourite. Vardhini VardhinisKitchen